Ahahahah. So Maggie is absolutely certain the Count is crushing on her best friend/sister-in-law. The Count's sister wants to get hitched, the Count's mother refuses to let her until HE is married, and... he has an ah-HAH moment when he finds out she's going to his home country the next week. So let's make a deal...

Oh what a tangled web we weave... especially with a suspicious mama who KNOWS people and isn't above a leedle manipulation. Halfway through their trip, they find themselves married for real, and unable to refuse because Mama is sickly and the Dr tells them not to upset her. Ordinarily, I resent the manipulative relative plot device but in this case, they were lying through their teeth to her so...

All of this with a good deal of humor along the way. I suddenly would not want to be an underwear model - having the photographer adjust my parts for the perfect angle is a bit more personal than I feel comfortable with. This was her career, btw. The fun with the babysitting had me grinning, but then I didn't have to clean the mess up.

Eventually, she (the h) panicked because he was getting way too close - her brother, the H in book 1, was messed up too in that regard. The H refused to give up, delivering a rather personal speech to her at the grand opening of his bakery. HEA.